Joseph Schlesinger, MD, is working on a device for patients that would eliminate high pitched noises from hospital alarms and devices, according to WSLS-10.
Though the World Health Organization recommends that the noise level in a hospital never rise above 35 decibels, a 2005 study by Johns Hopkins University found the average noise level is between 50 and 60 decibels and routinely rises higher than that in certain areas.
Dr. Schlesinger's device is a small box with a microphone and headphones attached, as well as a keyboard to input instructions, though he hopes to implement the technology in earbuds that will filter sounds that are unnecessary for patients and help them sleep soundly.
Though loud alerts for medical devices are important for clinicians to hear, many of the noises are unnecessary for patients. Many of the loudest noises are found in the ICU, where studies have found that poor sleep is linked to delirium and poorer patient outcomes.
Dr. Schlesinger is an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Nashville-based Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
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